This invention relates to foundation units, and more particularly to a wire support member for a foundation unit having spring characteristics yet permitting a foundation unit to be stored and shipped in a collapsed state and latter elevated to a fully expanded state.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,279, assigned to the Assignee of this application, pertains to a foldable steel wire foundation unit such as a boxspring for bedding purposes. The foundation unit is composed of a rigid bottom substructure, a flat top grid structure, and a plurality of spaced, parallel rows of substantially flat support members extending between the grid structure and the bottom substructure. Because the support members are substantially flat and are hingedly secured to the grid structure and the bottom substructure, the foundation unit can be fully assembled in the factory and shipped to the customer in a closed position, with the customer ultimately raising the unit to a fully expanded state and locking the structure in place by means of a plurality of oppositely directed stabilizers in the form of a series of struts. This invention is intended to be an improvement over that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,279, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.